Children's Movies that Never Should Have Been
Since it’s October, and everybody’s probably feeling the spooky spirit, I think now’s a good time to be reminded of some creepy children’s movies that you might have watched as a child. Click on the links if you dare!
1. Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure (1977): Now, none of us were alive to see this movie come out (excluding teachers), but some of us may have seen reruns of it or watched it at older family members’ houses. It seems like a simple, cute animated movie about two dolls. There is one part that sticks out though, they meet a gooey, creepy creature that sticks in the minds of all children who see it. Just watch for yourself.
2. The Secret of Nimh (1982): Now, this cartoon does feature very adorable cartoon mice, but the world they live in is not so adorable. A mother field mouse named Mrs. Brisby has to find help for her ailing son from a colony of super-intelligent and magical rats, where she learns the true secret about the tests performed on them. It’s a tad bit like an alien-abduction story, but a far less fun aspect for a children’s film. It’s a very scary story, especially for kids.
3. The Dark Crystal (1982): Just watch the video… that is all that needs to be said…
4. Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983): This one is actually from good old Disney. Truly disturbing, but Disney nonetheless. It follows a pair of kids in their turn-of-the-century town who notice bad things happening due to a weird traveling carnival led by the mysterious Mr. Dark. He grants people their deepest wishes, but always for a price.
5. The NeverEnding Story (1984): Most of this movie was just simply not suited for innocent children. It’s immensely dark and scary. It follows the adventures of Atreyu, the hero of a story being read by Bastion, the movie follows the appearance of a terrible entity called “The Nothing” which literally represents nothingness itself. A lot to take in for a child. From Artax the horse drowning in the Swamps of Sadness, to the Rockbiter not being able to save all his little friends from being sucked into the void, this movie is enough to make any kid question their own existence. Easily the most frightening part is the massive wolf creature G’mork, who follows our hero throughout the film and eventually fights him to the death. Wow.
6. Gremlins (1984): I really don’t think this one was for kids. Yet the movie managed to trick many parents into taking their children to see it.
7. Return to Oz (1985): Yep, this is indeed a sequel to the Wizard of Oz. You just need to click the link to find out why it shouldn’t be.
8. The Witches (1990): This movie treads the line between fairytale, and disturbing. It did not balance the two halves well.
9. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971): I’m pretty sure on some level we all knew this movie was pretty messed up. I mean, children were disappearing every minute. It was pretty terrifying.
10. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988): Roger Rabbit was immensely innovative for its time. There were some problems though. It seems like a happy-go-lucky film, but it certainly was not suitable for children. I mean, Judge Doom alone was terrifying.
11. Watership Down (1978): Oh, boy.
12. Dumbo (1941): It doesn’t seem like it at first thought, but it is pretty creepy. It’s simply a weird movie. It might be the only Disney movie to have a scene where the main character gets drunk, and it should stay that way.
13. Coraline (2009): It never did call itself a cute children’s movie, but this is kind of extreme. It is very creepy from beginning to end. Some scenes in the alternate universe of the movie are so intense, a child might want to curl up afterwards.
14. The Peanut Butter Solution (1985): This movie is more like a nightmare than a children’s tale. It even includes a ghost couple in it. Not just that, it also has a kidnapped children’s sweatshop. There’s just far too many creepy images to be called a kid’s movie.
15. Labyrinth (1986): This film is just full of too much strange. Come on, David Bowie stalks a girl in this movie.
